[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 219 (Tuesday, November 15, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 68500-68501]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-24775]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Administration for Children and Families


Privacy Act of 1974; Matching Program

AGENCY: Office of Child Support Enforcement, Administration for 
Children and Families, Department of Health and Human Services.

ACTION: Notice of a re-established matching program.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended, the 
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Administration for 
Children and Families (ACF), Office of Child Support Enforcement 
(OCSE), is providing notice of a re-established matching program 
between HHS/ACF/OCSE and state workforce agencies (SWA) administering 
the Unemployment Compensation benefits program (UC). The matching 
program compares SWA records with new hire and quarterly wage 
information maintained in the National Directory of New Hires (NDNH), 
the outcomes that help SWAs administer their UC programs.

DATES: The deadline for comments on this notice is December 15, 2022. 
The re-established matching program will commence no sooner than 30 
days after publication of this notice, provided no comments are 
received that warrant a change to this notice. The matching program 
will be conducted for an initial term of 18 months (from approximately 
January 19, 2023, through July 18, 2024) and, within 3 months of 
expiration, may be renewed for one additional year if the parties make 
no change to the matching program and certify that the program has been 
conducted in compliance with the agreement.

ADDRESSES: Interested parties may submit written comments on this 
notice to Venkata Kondapolu, Director, Division of Federal Systems, 
Office of Child Support Enforcement, Administration for Children and 
Families, by email at [email protected] or by mail at Mary 
E. Switzer Building, 330 C St. SW, 5th Floor, Washington, DC 20201. 
Comments received will be available for public inspection at this 
address from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: General questions about the matching 
program may be submitted to Venkata Kondapolu, Director, Division of 
Federal Systems, Office of Child Support Enforcement, Administration 
for Children and Families, by email at [email protected], 
by mail at Mary E. Switzer Building, 330 C St. SW, 5th Floor, 
Washington, DC 20201, or by telephone at 202-260-4712.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Privacy Act of 1974, as amended (5 
U.S.C. 552a), provides certain

[[Page 68501]]

protections for individuals applying for and receiving federal 
benefits. The law governs the use of computer matching by federal 
agencies when records in a system of records contain information about 
individuals that are retrieved by name or other personal identifiers or 
are matched with records of other federal, state, or local government 
records. The Privacy Act requires agencies involved in a matching 
program to:
    1. Obtain approval of a Computer Matching Agreement, prepared in 
accordance with the Privacy Act, by the Data Integrity Board of any 
federal agency participating in a matching program.
    2. Enter into a written Computer Matching Agreement.
    3. Provide a report of the matching program to Congress and the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and make it available to the 
public, as required by 5 U.S.C. 552a(o), (u)(3)(A), and (u)(4).
    4. Publish a notice of the matching program in the Federal Register 
as required by 5 U.S.C. 552a(e)(12) after OMB and Congress complete 
their review of the report, as provided by OMB Circular A-108.
    5. Notify the individuals whose information will be used in the 
matching program that the information they provide is subject to 
verification through matching, as required by 5 U.S.C. 552a(o)(1)(D).
    6. Verify match findings before suspending, terminating, reducing, 
or making a final denial of an individual's benefits or payments or 
taking other adverse action against the individual, as required by 5 
U.S.C. 552a(p).
    This matching program complies with these requirements.

Tanguler Gray,
Commissioner, OCSE.

    Participating Agencies: The agencies participating in the matching 
program are OCSE (source agency) and state agencies administering the 
Unemployment Compensation (UC) benefits program (non-federal agencies).
    Authority for Conducting the Matching Program: The authority for 
conducting the matching program is contained in section 453(j)(8) of 
the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 653(j)(8)).
    Purpose(s): The purpose of the matching program is to provide each 
SWA with new hire and quarterly wage information from OCSE's National 
Directory of New Hires (NDNH) system of records pertaining to adult UC 
applicants and recipients resulting from comparing client name and 
Social Security number combinations in the SWA's files to information 
in the NDNH. The match results assist the SWAs in establishing or 
verifying an individual's eligibility for assistance, reducing payment 
errors, and maintaining program integrity, including determining 
whether duplicate participation exists or if the applicant or recipient 
resides in another state. The SWAs may also use the NDNH information 
for secondary purposes, such as updating UC recipients' reported 
participation in work activities, updating recipients' and their 
employers' contact information, administering the SWAs' tax compliance 
function, and complying with U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) reporting 
requirements.
    Categories of Individuals: The categories of individuals involved 
in the matching program are adult members of households who have 
applied for or receive UC benefits.
    Categories of Records: The categories of records involved in the 
matching program that may include personal identifiers are new hire, 
quarterly wage, and unemployment insurance information. The specific 
data elements that will be provided to OCSE in a state agency input 
file are:

 Name
 Social Security number

    The state agency will use a unique code in the Passback Data field 
of the input file to identify the specific authorized purpose for the 
record being submitted for NDNH matching.
    OCSE will compare the Social Security numbers in the state agency 
input file to the Social Security numbers in the NDNH, and will provide 
the state agency with any available new hire, and quarterly wage 
information in the NDNH pertaining to the individuals whose records are 
contained in the state agency input file. The NDNH data elements OCSE 
will return to the state agency are as follows:

A. New Hire File

 New hire processed date
 Employee name and address
 Employee date and state of hire
 Federal and state employer identification numbers
 Department of Defense code
 Employer name and address
 Transmitter agency code
 Transmitter state code
 Transmitter state or agency name

B. Quarterly Wage File

 Quarterly wage processed date
 Employee name
 Federal and state employer identification numbers
 Department of Defense code
 Employer name and address
 Employee wage amount
 Quarterly wage reporting period
 Transmitter agency code
 Transmitter state code
 Transmitter state or agency name

    System(s) of Records: The NDNH data used in this matching program 
will be disclosed from the following OCSE system of records, as 
authorized by routine use 13: ``OCSE National Directory of New Hires,'' 
System No. 09-80-0381; 87 FR 3553 (January 24, 2022).

[FR Doc. 2022-24775 Filed 11-14-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4184-42-P